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Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews took aim Monday at her federal counterpart, accusing her of igniting a threat against public safety by approving the use of generic OxyContin.

“I am profoundly disappointed in Minister (Leona) Aglukkaq’s decision to ignore the threat to public safety posed by generic OxyContin and to allow it to enter the Canadian market,” Matthews said.

OxyContin was taken off Ontario drug shelves after concerns it had become a street drug of choice because it could be easily broken down and sold.

It was replaced with a variant called OxyNeo, whose potency is lost if ground up.

Provincial and territorial health ministers unanimously asked for federal not to give the OK to generic OxyContin but Aglukkaq ignored those pleas, Matthews said.

“The prospect of making a cheaper formulation more widely available is a matter of grave concern, threatening the safety of individuals and the population at large. If the government of Canada had truly wanted to do what was in the best interests of all Canadians, it could have stopped these drugs from being readily available,” Matthews said.

Prescription OxyContin was associated with a five-fold increase in oxycodone-related deaths and a 41% increase in overall opioid-related deaths. The social costs of allowing generic OxyContin have been estimated at $500 million a year, Matthews said.

Police chiefs and pharmacists joined Matthews in calling for a ban.

“Given the federal government’s decision, the McGuinty government will redouble our efforts and explore every option to limit the availability of generic OxyContin,” Matthews said.

Earlier Monday, Aglukkaq said the government doesn’t have the legislative authority to approve or reject medications based on the possibility of misuse and abuse.